President Trump says he wants to make a deal for minerals from Ukraine in exchange for aid. That followed a long effort by Ukrainian officials to appeal to Mr. Trump’s transactional nature.

Opponents of the project say it is costly, will take far too long to strengthen Ukraine’s battered power supply and opens the door to corruption.

At least 14 people were killed in Poltava, Ukrainian officials said, blaming Russia. Four died in Sudzha, a Russian town held by Ukraine, in a strike each country blamed on the other.

Ukraine’s defense minister fired the head of a state agency that procured over $7 billion in armaments last year, citing “unsatisfactory” results. She says the move is illegal and vows to stay in her post.

The mine, near the frontline city of Pokrovsk, produced coking coal crucial for Ukraine’s steel industry. It kept running until the very last moment, when Russian forces finally reached its gates.